Origin duo handed whistle for NRL grand final

STATE of Origin referees Ashley Klein and Gerard Sutton have been handed the whistle for the NRL grand final on Sunday.

The pair were in charge of all three Origin games in 2018 and have officiated throughout the NRL finals series.

Sutton will be lead referee in the Storm v Roosters decider at ANZ Stadium, assisted by Klein.

The tough judges are Brett Suttor and Nick Beashel. The senior review official is Steve Chiddy assisted by Ben Galea.

"Much like the players, they've probably refereed for 20-odd years to get to this point," said referees boss Bernard Sutton, brother of Gerard.

"Reaching a grand final this year doesn't start in January. It probably starts when they're 15 or 16 year old kids and they've dedicated their whole lives to this achievement.

"We certainly need to recognise the special nature of this week, but ultimately we realise that Sunday night is what we'll be judged by. It's about trying to put a bit of consistency into our preparation for the week as well and making sure we're right when the kick-off happens."